Review of The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005) by Joel W — 22 May 2010

I wanted so much to love this film as if it were my own child (bad analogy; I hate children, but you get the picture). Having been a long time fan of all things Gentleman, I went into this film with the very highest of expectations. Perhaps that was a mistake. After having sat through an hour and a half of what I can only describe as disappointing film, this feature-length outing to Royston Vasey simply left me feeling like the last balloon at a party. Very deflated.

Now that's not to say it's a bad film. Indeed, there are definitely points at which the story gets interesting and very comical. Worthy of particular mention is the scene in which the Dyson, Gatis and Pemberton create the 'homunculus' (a sort of stop-motion orc). This whole scene made me smile throughout. In fact, I should have liked to have seen a whole 'The King's Evil' film. Alas, it was not to be, as the main film intrudes rudely on this little comic gem.

Fans (hey, that's me!) might be somewhat disappointed at the small appearances of some of the more favorite characters (Papa Lazarou, Tubbs and Edward et al), though I understand it must have been tricky thinking which characters to use so that all three of the Gentlemen could play roles along side each other.

So, all in all then: Not a bad film by any means, but nothing particularly memorable, unlike the TV show which will surely go down in sitcom history as one of the most grotesque, vile and brilliant series of all time.